Pet Books

For those who are interested in doing Rally Obedience at a competitive level, this is a must read. It is a well-written book and also well-illustrated to show the reader exactly what the author is talking about and where exactly the dog/handler should be during each exercise. So... GET IT.

This book helped me understand how to teach my dog the commands in Rally Obedience. It has a great step by step description of each command, and how you are to use the clicker. It has really helped me in teaching my the basics.

This book is well written and easy to follow. I was able to get a good sense of the ins and outs of rally obedience.

I have a 10 month old basset hound and we have completed one Rally Course. I used this book and its techniques as a supplement while training my basset. It's a great approach and my dog picked up on the positive clicker reinforcement very quickly. I'd highly recommend this book. It's been very helpful in how I train my pup.

This book does a lot of stuff for you and your dog pupil(s). It teaches you how to make the dog enjoy working, make concepts super easy for it to grasp, make it so the dog learns the behaviors it needs very, very well, and, of course, tells you what the APDT and AKC rally courses require of you and how to go through the courses and kick butt! Basically it prepares you and your dog for a great, delightful journey down the training road :)

This was a very helpful book for my husband and me as we had just adopted a second-hand parrot and we had not idea what we were doing. This book was recommended by our Veterinarian and we really rely on it. Thank you so much for all the info.

If you're adopting an older parrot, much of the information in breed specific manuals will not be relevant for you, since it pertains to hand fed babies. This book contains information that is specific to parrots that have lost their home for one reason or another. Much of the information is recycled from Mattie Sue's previous books on parrot behavior, so if you've read them and commited them to memory, you might not need to add this one. If, however, you are not an expert on parrots, but simply want to open your heart and home to one of these wonderful creatures, this book will help make the transition smoother for both of you. It will also alert you to potential problems. There is also new information about integrating a new parrot into an existing flock. Personally, I think this book should go home with every bird adopted from a rescue organization.

Please don't let the title convince you this book is only for people with "re-homed" parrots! It also offers valuable information for AVOIDING losing your companion, and what to do if you find a lost companion parrot. Parrots are lost not just to "fly-aways", but to changing life circumstances in their human flock. This book provides practical tips to help keep the parrot in its home even during times of shifting family responsibilities. Then, of course, it also provides important advice for building trust in the "re-homed" parrot. I HAVE HAD A HARD TIME TRACKING THIS BOOK DOWN IN BOOKSTORES, so I am pleased to find it readily available on Amazon.

In THE SECOND-HAND PARROT, Mattie Sue Athan makes a good case for taking on a previously owned parrot as a feathered adoptee. While it is true some adoptees are less than civil, Athan has shown through her own experiences that there may be a diamond in the rough underneath those bristling feathers. (Mattie Sue Athan's experiences with her two adopted Grey Parrots, Bongo I and Bongo II are documented on her web site).

Many pet birds are passed on by owners who are dead, too old, too sick, or move to less accommodating quarters. Many of these older birds need only a short period of getting to know you and TLC to become your best buddy. I've become a believer. Having adopted two Cockatiels two years ago who had terrorized everyone at the animal shelter and had them become two big sweeties I know what a little TLC can do. The sweetest bird I own, however, is a "hand-me-down Conure" with two previous owners. My Conure is also the biggest bird I own and the least nippy. Every morning he says "Give me a kiss" which I happily do with a "Thank-you" as my reward. "Used" birds frequently can talk and have learned cute tricks.

Athan offers all sorts of tips on how to get your birds to comply with various challenges you might offer such as bathing, destroying toys instead of your books, and kissing not nipping when you offer your cheek or stick your hand in their cage. In her section on "The Corrective Environment" she shows how many of the tics the new-old bird learned were brought on by cramped, boring, and/or dirty quarters. It is amazing what a little space and a new toy will do to improve an outlook.

I run a second hand parrot rescue and I must say this book is really on the ball. So many times people don't really know WHY is my bird acting like that, Does this bird hate me etc. This book lends knowledge to the behavior and how to handle a rehomed bird. I recommend this book to anyone considering a pet bird, especially a rehomed one.

Are you a professional dog groomer? Want to become one? Then get this book!

This book, along with the companion "Theory of five" are essential books for the groomer's collection. Covering a vast number of dog breeds, it shows the standard pattern and cuts of these breeds and in some cases, such as poodles, scotties and those with slightly more "complicated cuts" it goes into a great deal of depth with detail and advice.
Brilliant book! A Must.

This is a great book for the busy groomer. It has all different types of information and the fact that it is spiral bound makes it even easier to use while working.

Fresh out of grooming training, this was book I picked up as a supplemental guide to the styles of the breeds that come into the salon where I work. It has NEVER let me down. In fact, rarely a day goes by without SOMEONE in the salon using it as a reference, usually to educate customers about their options in getting their dog groomed.

If you're going to be a dog groomer, GET THIS BOOK! I have never seen such clear instructions and useful diagrams for cuts.

This book is perfect for any amateur or professional groomer anywhere. The instructions are very precise and easy to understand. The pictures are more realistic and clear than any other grooming book I have ever read.

This was a book I was SO eager to get. It is absoultely ok, but it sure wasn't the masterpiece that I had hoped for. It is pretty with excellent layout and clever spiral binding, but it is just the same advice as you get anywhere.
Still, this is probably one of the first books I'd recommend on the subject to a beginner. But if you are more advanced in the field there will be little new to gain.

The book is readable, practical and filled with useful information. It would be helpful to both parents and professionals.

"When Children Grieve" is a book every person should read. It explains just how significantly we are impacted by almost evey loss we experience.
Each and every one of us will experience loss in our lives. Most of us don't realize the impact those losses have on our future lives and the decisions we make when we have not gone through the grieving process. We need to ackowledge the changes that a loss brings to our lives.
This book thoughfully explains what grieving is and how to recognize it in your life.
I highly recommend it for everyone as a teaching resource for lifes lessons.

This is a great book for anyone who has been through a move, divorce, pet loss, or loss of a loved one. It gives great solutions for resolve. Even if it has been years since your loss. Even though the title implies it is to help your children you can learn alot about yourself as well.

I am a conservative, grumpy, old, Lutheran pastor, vehemently opposed to all things "New Age." I despise the fads of pop-psychology. "Touchy-Feely" advice from so-called experts, who demand exorbitant fees, often makes me want to wretch. So, I approached this book filled with trepidation.

There was no need for my concerned.

Writing with extraordinary gentleness and common sense Mr. James, Mr. Friedman and Dr. Matthews have provided adults with an invaluable outline on how to shepherd the children in their lives through loss, grief and recovery. Every parent, grandparent, teacher, pastor, priest, rabbi, nurse or physician who expects the children in their lives to suffer the death of a pet, suffer the death of a relative, move or endure a divorce will benefit from reading this book.

Do yourself a favor. Read this book for the sake of the children whom you love. It is well worth the investment of your time.

Then, do yourself a second favor, and place a copy of this book in your church, synagogue or public library for the others who will grow by reading it.

This book should be required for all parents. If you want to understand the basics of human and/or child behavior, this book is a must read. The book succinctly and lovingly explains the concept of "loss" and the emotional and physical responses to it-what we would normally call grief.

The beauty of this book is that grief is placed in a larger context. In other words, according to the authors, grief is the response when experiencing a "massive change or end from everything familiar." Therefore, children, and adults, can grieve a variety of situations: loss of a pet, moving to another neighborhood, or changing schools.

Therein rests the beauty of this book. This book explains how to help children. More importantly, the adults who are required to provide the assistance will learn more about their children and themselves.

So highly recommended, there are not enough stars to express this book's importance.

For anyone who's done a lot of learning and growing with their dogs, and handled the inevitable curve balls thrown along the way, you'll totally relate, and smile and nod with recognition.
This is a book that will get you laughing and crying and thinking, and loving your dogs more than you already do.
A book not to be missed!

What a truly wonderful book. I was often moved to tears while reading it. A word of advice to anyone who reads it is that you skip the Prologue until after reading Chapter 12 (up to page 171). I fortunately never read these so had skipped it and was so glad I did. Had I read it first I would have already known everything that would happen and wouldn't have been able to enjoy the book as it is written.

In many ways, this is the classic tale of the hero's journey. Shanley starts out in the ordinary world minding her own business. Until she has a dream that draws her into something much larger; a dream that will set off a chain-reaction of events that will challenge what Shanley knows about her dogs, and ultimately what she knows about herself.

Shanley's love for her dogs drives her to continue the search until she finds the answers and the knowledge she needs to transform both herself and her dogs. Throughout the process, she demonstrates an inspiring degree of courage, grit, and determination. As with the mythical hero, Shanley returns home from her journey with a gift that she shares with the rest of us -- her hard-won lessons learned.

I loved this book. The writing is beautiful, the story is moving, and both humans and animals are memorable. And if I were to come back in my next life as a dog, I know in whose dreams I'd want to appear.

Karen Shanley, I hope you're hard at work on your next book. In eager anticipation....

There are many wonderful stories about relationships between humans and dogs. I was expected another one of that genre. But, it has a few unexpected and extraordinary elements worth noting: (a) A profound sense of spirituality that never becomes preachy, and (b) A focus on the delicate intricacies of navigating a relationship with a spouse or partner, in which one is more connected to dogs than the other. Both these elements made this tale a particularly meaningful one. I read it in a single day.

Just finished this book and stopped back to buy a couple more copies for friends. Now everyone is entitled to their opinions--even German girl--though I wonder what ax she has to grind, but don't believe for a second that this book is anything but a beautifully written love story by the author to her dogs. That we get to be flies on the wall, so to speak, is all the better for us. The author's 3 amazing dogs have come into her life to show her what she does and doesn't know about dogs, and what she does and doesn't know about herself. The author rises to the challenge on both counts, and in the end, turns herself into a dog owner worthy of any dog. Loved this book. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

I have had hermit crabs most of my life. So, when my son asked to get some while at the beach I couldnt say no. To brush up on my knowledge I got this book. It covers everything. Great for the beginner or someone who has crabs. Beautiful pictures through out the book. I have a few books this is the ONE I recommend.

This book is just what it says it is. I learned so much about my cabs that I didn't know. I only wish that is would tell me exactly what the enjoy to eat but it said that you have to learn what they like and don't like. Just like each of us like and dislike things they do to.

I picked up this book because we recently got two hermit crabs and I wanted to learn more about taking care of them. While this book was among the more helpful I've come across on the subject, I was hoping it would be more detailed. Everything in it was useful, and it helped me know what to do for the basics, but I want to go a little more advanced.

I found the book to be extremely informative and helpful.
there was a great deal of information that i found very useful. Very pleased with this product.

With there not being out the in pet stores on how to care for your hermies, this book is very helpful for the novice owner or even for a brush up for someone more experienced. I like to try and read as much as I can. It explains the background of the species as well as how to care for them properly. Thru that, it shows that they are NOT just a disposable pet to live in a little plastic container w/ a 1/4 inch of sand :-( hopefully someday that philosophy will change. They are so interesting and can live a very long time if taken care of properly. It is only a lot of work if you do not have the time.

Born an animal lover, I read James Herriot's first four books in the 70's from middle through high school in Taiwan. Yes, Those books were translated into Chinese and James Herriot was quite popular among book lovers there. I came to the United States in 1987 and since then, I bought and re-read all his books in English. I discovered so many aspects of his writing could not be precisely translated into another language, nevertheless his love and affection for all living thing are universal. Later, I watched and collected some of the BBC adaptation and had to admit that even though they were fine production, they left you with little imagination. I still prefer the books and the audio CD's narrated by Christopher Timothy. Christopher Timothy's interpretation was very good on film, but even better on CD's.
When the book "James Herriot's Treasury for children" came out, I could not think of a better way to introduce my nieces and my daughter to James Herriot's writing and the animals around him. The children love the stories and illustrations. But no matter how hard I tried, I could never be good at imitating the Yorkshire farmer's accent.
When I found that an audio version of this book was available through Amazon, I was very excited the thought this would complete my James Herriot collection. However, I was puzzled that Christopher Timothy did not narrate this book. Not knowing Jim Dale's previous work, I was skeptical about the quality of his narration. Now I am glad that I was wrong.
Christopher Timothy has been wonderful with all his work, but I think Jim Dale is more suitable for this book whose target audience are mostly children. There is so much feeling and emotion in his voice that makes the stories even more captivating than they already were. While listening to "The Christmas Day Kitten", I found myself sobbing at the end of story as if I had lost my own pet.
James Herriot's books combine good story-telling, passion and kindness to every living thing. This book will do just that for your children. The audio CD will simply add more magic to his stories.

I purchased this book two weeks ago and read it entirely in just a few short days and I must say i have never been more pleased with a book, I had a lot of fears going in to this hobby as I have read elsewhere that these Frogs can be very hard to keep and this book has help put me at ease, from breeding to health and feeding this book has you covered.

The only thing I wish they went more in to was new vivarium setups and that they can get mold growth in them, this however will disappear overtime (found out with a bit of googling), but then the book is about keeping dart frogs and not vivarium joys & horrors. So I will excuse this factor. :D

Excellent , quick reference for the hobbyist wanting some breeding tips. Easy fast reading. Up to date advice.

This is the book you find on the wire rack at Petsmart. The ones that are all pretty much the same, just that they've inserted the appropriate breed name as necessary. In other words, a general dog care manual. If you're looking for something a little more in depth, this isn't it.

My family recently decided to add a dog to our house. All, except the cat, were in agreement. I argued for a Great Dane. I had some friends who raised them when I was a kid and a professor who had one when I was in seminary. I remembered them as being impressing, friendly and faithful. Just to be sure, though, I bought this book to learn a little bit more. I'm glad I did.

The book does a fair job of covering the basics that any dog owner would need to know and does them from the point of view of having a dog that may well be the second largest member of the family. It is common sense to know that a Great Dane can steal food off your counter top a lot more effectively than a Chihuahua but there are other factors that are not so obvious. The book also does a reasonable job of going through the early training process and getting the dog house broken. This turned out to be of less use to us because the dog we obtained was already an adult and had been trained. Still, it might come in handy in the future.

For me, information about the breed was of the most use. This included discussion of temperament, differing varieties and such. After reading it, I felt able to make an informed decision about getting the dog. Clyde is now a loved member of the family and the cat is still hacked off.

This is the best Great Dane book that I have read and I've read four recently. We are planning on breeding and possibly showing Great Danes and I have been reading everything I can get my hands on. Not only is this book easy to read, but also the most comprehensive. I also feel that it is the most balanced. Some books are written by dog fanatics and are a little extreme. This book seemed to be very centered with an understanding of reality. It gives good information on conformation (much more than the other books), breeding, training a dog (nice section on housebreaking), and even a little on showing your dog. If you are only going to buy one book on Great Danes, I would buy this one.